Guard-bolt for car-platforms



(No Model.)

J. ROBERTSON, GUARD BOLT FOR GARYPLATPORMS. I No. 436,292. Patented Sept. 9. 1890. i

PATENT ()FFICE.

UNITED STATES JOHN ROBERTSON, OF POTT SVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

e UARD-BOLT FoR CAR-1 PLATFORMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,292, dated September 9, 1890. Application filed January 22, 1890. serial Nb. 337,686- '(No model.)

.To all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, JOHN ROBERTSON, a citizen of the United Stat-es, residing at Pottsville,

in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and userailway-vehicles of every description, the ob- Ject of the invention being to provide a safetyequipment for railway cars and carriages, which may be cheap, simple, effective in its operation and of easy application, and which will serve a valuable purpose in guarding against the destruction of life and property.

In drivingrailway-carriages by the common and well-known method it is well known that while they are running at their ordinary speed they are liable to various accidentssuch, for instance, as overriding each other, the breaking of a wheel or axle, being derailed or thrown from the track, toppling over bridges or embankments all of which, as well as other dangers that might be mentioned, render railway traveling extremelyhazardous, and expose the lives of travelers as well as vast quantities of property to great peril and disaster.

The nature and object of my present invention are to avoid all these accidents, and thus save lives and property.

To this end the invention consists, essentially, of a guard-bolt and a receptacle therefor adapted to be attached to the railwaycarriage; and, further, in certain arrangements of these bolts and receptacles, and also in certain details in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed. V

In the annexed drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is a plan view of the ad jacent ends of two railway-cars provided with cars or carriages may have my devices applied thereto. Any kind of coupling may be employed, as my invention bears no relation or connection with the coupling. ,The cars'may have the usual bumpers B B, as shown in Fig. 2.

In carrying my invention into practical op- 1 eration I first provide what I term receptacles or holders consisting of elongated metallic castings O of suitable size and length. These reoeptaces O are formed with acentral channel or bore 0 and with a funnel-shaped or bell-mouth outer end 0', which funnel shape or bell-mouth gradually merges into the bore 0. The rear end of receptacle 0 is formed with a flange or fiat part b, which is perforated for the passage of a bolt D, which I passes through the car-sill or some other convenient object, said bolt having on its lower end a nut and serving as a pivot onwhich the receptacle oscillates to a greater or less extent,

as may be required. I preferably provide each end of a car with two'of these'receptacles located horizontally beneath the bottom of the car and projecting past the end thereof, similarly to a draw-head. Thus each car will have four of these receptacles-two on each end-and those on the endof one car will be opposite those on the end of the next adj oin ing car. (See Fig. 1.) These receptacles may be located beneath the buffers or above them or to one side, whichever may be deemed most convenient and suitable. There may be any numberof the receptacles, either two or more, as desired, to each car end.

. atithe properpoint thereon". By means of this 1 head the operator can accurately determine 1 'cleicontaining it, but. lies; looselyithereini i the bottom part of the car and beingipro devices all the various kinds of. accidents .bolts form afirm support between the cars.

.cate'd within thencoeptacle that the aperture 1 -d;will coincide with the vertical. 1 hole in the 1 lates upon its pivot. Between the upper sur- 5 face of the receptacle and. the oar-bottomlf E denotes what I term the fg'uardboltf I is around ro metal o sui able l ngth and diameter, and is preferably tapered at one end. One of these guard-bolts will be located within each pair of oppositely-situated p l s- It s adapted tq tne t y w hin. the channels 0 in the receptacles, (see Fig. 2,) being inserted thereinto through the funnelshaped ends of the receptacles..- {.lhe bolt is provided near its tampered endwith a "perforation cl, adapted to come into coincidence when the boltis within the, receptacle, with a vertical hole in said reee'ptaei'aiir which "hole" is located the pin or bolt FQ F Thispin serves to hold the guard-bolt securely in place. Said bolt is further provided with a beadiorulugbci "ho'w toradj List/the bolt, because hewill {insert *the boltsinto the receptacleuntilthe beadeis inla line IYitllfthG outer endof the receptacle, and he will rotate the bolt until the bead is on i. itswupper side, Tandfithen the bolt Willi be so 10- l receptacle, and the. pin F 1 may Edrop through the guard-bolt and; hold it securely in place. 1 .(See Fig; .2.) WYhile the perforated end of the f guard-bolt 1 enters one of wtwolopposite recepl taclesfits tapered. :end 1 will enter the other. i The tapered end is notsecured to the reoepta- Therefore it will be noted that the bolt is sefcured to but one of the two receptacles hold-j ing it. 1 This is afou ndto be sufficient, as: the l ,1: -1 Around each receptacle is asteadyin'g brace j lor strap. G, consisting of: a .stripofmetal bent (into. rectangular l form r ,of the ,proper. size: to i, ireceive: the..receptacle and give, it 338111311 amount. ofhorizontal playc therein .This brace nuns square across underneath the receptacle, with an :angle at each lower .corner, 1 and extends upward perpendicularly ,onieach i sideof the receptacle, its ends passing through vided with nuts, as shown, whereby the brace is securelyheld in place. Within this brace; the receptacle has room to 11110V6 as it oscil- 1 locate a wearing-plate H, which is bolted ori otherwisesecurely fastened to the car-frame, and which serves to prevent wear upon the I partsin contact with each other during the oscillations of the receptacle. It will thus beseenthat when cars are provided withmyj enumerated at the beginning of the specification may be. avoided, because theguard- If a wheel breaks,the end of the car willnot drop, as it will be strongly supported by train. wise, as they are connected to but one of the pair of containing-receptacles; also, it will these bolts. In fact, a car might be deprived pivoted points of the receptacles permit the devices to have sufficient play in passing curves and during the rapid motion of the -The bolts have plenty of play endbeunderstood that these bolts-are readily reversible, the reversal being cfiiected at any "tiinewhen it is desired to move the car 1n the opposite direction by simply turning the bolt end for end and inserting it into and fastening it within the adjacent receptacle.

, iHaving thus described my invention,what I. claim. as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is. 1 1w Ina safety appliance for railwayvehi (3195,1116 combination of two or more receptaclc'si pivoted at each end of each car, said receptacles having f u nnel-shapcd months, the

guardmbraces or straps for keeping the re ceptacles in place and permitting the neces .saryroscillation, and the guard-bolts located closely; and neatly within each two adjacent receptacles and secured within one of them,

said mboltsdbeing arranged so that they may for mlasolid and firm support between the :ends' of thecars to prevent displacement of ,andlthe guard-bolts perforated near one end to permit them to be connected by a pin within. one receptacle, while the other end of the bolt lies loosely but with a firm bearing throughout its length within the adjacent receptacle, said guard-bolts serving to form a *firmsupport between the ends of the cars of the train, whereby displacement of the cars upon the track is prevented and accidents avoided, substantially in the manner and for the purposes as described.

3. In a safety appliance for railway-vehicles, two or more receptacles pivoted at each end of the car, said receptacles having central channels and a funnel-shaped mouth, the guardstraps surrounding the receptacles to keep them in place and permit the necessary oscillation, and the guard-bolts located closely and with a firm bearing throughout their length within two adjacent receptacles, said bolts being perforated to permit them to be secured by a pin within one receptacle while the other end lies neatly within the adjacent receptacle, said guard-bolts serving to form a firm support between the ends of the different cars for the purpose of preventing displacement of the cars and thus avoidthe other is perforated, said bolt having there- 10 ing accidents, substantially in the manner on a bead and the pin for holding the bolt and for the purposes as described. in place, as described.

4. The combination, with a railway-car, of In testimony whereof I affix my signature in a receptacle having a central bore, a fi nnelpresence of two witnesses.

month, and a rear plate or flange, a pivot for JOHN ROBERTSON. connecting said flange loosely to the car, a Witnesses: guard-strap surrounding the receptacle, and CLARA ROBERTSON,

a guard-bolt having one end tapered while FRED E. TASKER. 

